The two most overrated movies in history, according to James Gunn
James Gunn is a name very much in the zeitgeist right now.
After taking the Guardians of the Galaxy from comic book obscurities to box office dynamite, he pulled the old switcheroo and left Marvel to join their biggest rivals. As the head of the new DC Studios, he had the unenviable task of reigniting interest in a property that had spent the last decade or so making a complete fool of itself. As it stands, most people seem to think he’s doing a decent job.
Being back in the public eye gives Gunn more opportunities to spread his movie hot takes. Like every director, the silver-haired maverick is a dyed-in-the-wool cinephile with more opinions on films than you’ve had hot dinners. Previously, he used his platform to take a swipe at Ridley Scott, making a post on Facebook following the release of the trailer for Prometheus.
In the post, which has been recapped beautifully by Jedi Jones on Twitter (never X), Gunn admitted he was a fan of the trailer, but didn’t have much hope for the finished product given Scott’s track record over the past two decades. Unwisely, he stuck around to get into arguments with fans in the comments, which led to this stunning revelation.
“Where I am in the minority,” he wrote, “Is that Blade Runner may be the 2nd most overrated movie of all time (after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid).”
As aggrieved as I am to agree with the man who made The Suicide Squad, I personally don’t see the Blade Runner hype. I only watched it for the first time in 2025, expecting big things, but felt let down by its story, performances, and overreliance on pompous, self-aggrandising ‘symbolism’. But even I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a really important movie.
Sure, it borrowed a lot from Metropolis, but just look at its monolithic buildings, its society divided into rich and poor, its sleazy underbelly, its constant barrage of brightly coloured advertising, and just try and say that hasn’t been influential. The whole science fiction genre – of which Gunn is very much a part – owes Scott and his film a great debt.
As for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I can’t throw in my own opinion because I haven’t seen it. I know – I’m the worst. I can tell you that other people absolutely love it, though. When Robert Redford passed away in 2025, his performance as the titular ‘Kid’ routinely appeared at the very top of his obituaries. As for his opposite number, Paul Newman, this is one of the roles that solidified him as one of the all-time greats.
Whether something is ‘overrated’, ‘underrated’, or just plain ‘rated’ has nothing to do with the critical scores of awards. It’s a highly personal label and depends entirely on the views of the person ascribing it. If James Gunn wants to besmirch the names of two of the best-loved, most important movies ever made, then he has every right. Just as I have every right to say that I thought his version of Superman was dogshite.
